News

Ask the experts: The rural consultant

We are moving to Somerset, and want to keep pet lambs, a cow, chickens and geese. Are there any restrictions?

HD, London

Whether you have just the one pet cow, pig, lamb or goat, or you farm on a much bigger scale, the process is the same. You must register all livestock with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra; www.defra.gov.uk), apply for the relevant ear tag or passport, obey rules on movements and keep detailed records.

The first step is to contact the Rural Payments Agency (www.rpa.gov.uk) and apply for a county parish holding (CPH) number for the land. Next, register any animals with Defra by contacting your local animal-health divisional office, which will ask for your CPH number.

Once the livestock has been registered, you will receive the registration documents. There are different systems for different species - although there are plans to simplify this - and